Animal Life news stories

Since the beginning of time, canines have had a special role in Native American family life – as companions, helpers, teachers, protectors, workers, and even suppliers of fiber for weaving blankets and clothing. So, here are 10 Indian Country canine breeds you should know – from the mighty Tahltan Bear Dog to the pocket-sized Chihuahua.

An extremely rare white humpback whale has been spotted off the Australian coast as he undertakes his annual migration. The albino is believed to be Migaloo, the world’s most famous all-white humpback, who has built up a loyal following since first being sighted in 1991.

A rising number of sea lions are being poisoned by toxic algae blooms in California, according to The Associated Press. So far, 68 sea lions have been treated by the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. According to a NOAA spokesman, the number is more pronounced than seen in the past few years. The sea lions are getting sick because they eat sardines and anchovies that feed on the toxic algae. The algae releases a toxin called domoic acid, which affects the brain, and can even kill humans when contaminated shellfish is consumed.

In 1933, US Admiral Richard Byrd’s second Antarctic expedition took with it three Guernsey cows. The cows, named Klondike Gay Nira, Deerfoot Guernsey Maid and Foremost Southern Girl, plus a bull calf born en route, spent over a year in a working dairy on the Ross Ice Shelf. They returned home to the US in 1935 to considerable celebrity.

The first genetically modified (GM) salmon, containing extra genes to help them grow faster, has finally hit the supermarket shelves in Canada after years of opposition and delays. The salmon has been cleared as safe by the FDA and other regulators, but still faces opposition from groups generally opposed to GM foods.

There are just 30 to 50 critically endangered North Pacific Right Whales left in existence. Researchers sometimes go years between sightings, but NOAA biologists luckily heard the faint calls of these two on acoustic recorder.

A fruit bat discovered in a remote Papua New Guinea rainforest has been given official recognition as a new species. The flying mammal earned the nickname because of its unusual resemblance to the Yoda, the Star Wars Jedi Master. It has a rounder jaw than similar species and appears as though it is smiling.

High rainwater levels in the Florida Everglades have stranded animals on levees and tree islands, triggering emergency measures last week by water managers to drain flooded areas. The US Army Corps of Engineers was allowed to change its water storage rules to temporarily allow for more water to be held in a conservation area west of Palm Beach and Broward counties through the fall and into the dry season. The effects of high water in the River of Grass ecosystem can have serious detrimental impact on several endangered species such as wood storks and snail kites.

8000 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, NOAA scientists have spotted a mysterious glowing creature pulsating and hovering above the seafloor amid a spiderweb of tentacles. Experts say the rarely-seen deep-sea ‘dandelion animal’, despite its solitary appearance, is not one organism but many individuals living and working together.

Scientists have decoded the secrets behind a goldfish’s ability to survive in ice-covered lakes. They’ve worked out how and why the fish turn lactic acid in their bodies into alcohol as a means of staying alive. Some goldfish were found to have levels well above legal drunk-driving limits in many countries. Scientists have also calculated for fun, how long it would take to produce an alcoholic drink from the fish excretions. For fun, scientists have also calculated how long it would take to produce an alcoholic drink from the fish excretions.

Bees seem to understand the idea of zero – the first invertebrate shown to do so. When the insects were encouraged to fly towards a platform carrying fewer shapes than another one, they apparently recognised “no shapes” as a smaller value than “some shapes”.

For the first time, scientists have found living microbes in the blistering hot springs of Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression.

Known as the “gateway to hell”, the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is scorchingly hot and one of the most alien places on Earth. Yet a recent expedition to the region has found it is teeming with life.